Nearly 250 heating assistance applications okayed in county

BY BROOKS TAYLOR

Mt. Pleasant News

Residents of Henry County have received significant assistance from Southeast Iowa Community Action, according to Henry County Supervisor Marc Lindeen.

Lindeen told his peers Thursday, during the boards regular meeting, that county residents received $163,122.28 in October from Southeast Iowa Community Action.

Lindeen, reporting on a meeting of the Henry County Community Action Board of Directors, said that the impending arrival of winter weather accounted for most of the funds.

?Most of it was for weatherization of homes or winter-heating assistance,? Lindeen noted, adding that some of it was also WIC (women, infants and children) funds.

?Every (community action) center takes applications for heat assistance,? he explained. ?The applicants have to meet certain guidelines and regulations and they are either approved or denied.? In October, 248 applications for heat assistance were approved for county residents, Lindeen said.

In the only other agenda item, the board set Thursday, Dec. 3, at 10 a.m., at the courthouse as the date, time and location of the public hearing on the sale of approximately 15 tracts of county-owned land in Henry County.

?Most of it is ?slivers? of property,? remarked Joe Buffington, county planning and zoning administrator. ?It is a deed anomaly where the original owner didn?t dispose of all of the property. The property is already being used, but the new owner doesn?t have title to it and it is basically cleaning up titles.?

Of the parcels, there are four full-size town lots for sale. The lots are located in Salem, Trenton, Mt. Union and Winfield.

Most of the parcel slivers are located in Mt. Pleasant and some are as small as six feet.

The resolution passed by the supervisors setting the date and time of sale says that the small portions of parcels will be offered for sale to the party currently occupying the parcel or to the adjacent parcel owner if occupation cannot be determined. Sale price is $100 to offset legal fees and publication costs.

One of the parcels in Rome will be offered to the City of Rome for $100.

Supervisors will meet again in regular session on Tuesday, Nov. 17, at 9 a.m. at the courthouse.